


Coffee Stains and Sugar Cubes

by HoneyBug



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Oneshot, cuTIEPIES, tease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 01:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6495736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyBug/pseuds/HoneyBug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was supposed to finish a painting today, that's what Nathanael promised himself. But he had Marinette on his lap, coffee stains on his canvass and a dozen sugar cubes he was kissing off her. Maybe the painting can wait for another day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee Stains and Sugar Cubes

_Splat_. There goes another bottle of paint splattered on the wooden floor. The thick liquid had begun to form a little puddle, the vibrant shade clashing with the neutral tones from the floorboard. Nathanael had come to the point where he had forgotten how many times he had accidentally pushed his paint bottles to the floor today. This time, it was the red bottle he had knocked over with his elbow. Now it looked like the floor was bleeding.

With a sigh, the painter ran his hand through his ginger locks as he placed his brush down, getting up from his seat to walk towards the kitchen. It was another typical afternoon in his apartment; the slow piano music, papers scattered on the floor and the many paint stains that were all over the place. But something had changed with the way things were arranged in his hermit hole. There were fresh flowers everywhere now, not to mention the kitchen began to smell like cookies every Friday because he had invested on an oven. The walls were also painted in subtle hues of purple and cream, with his windows opened to allow the fresh sunlight in whenever he painted. He wasn’t used to it at first, this whole “happy and aesthetically pleasing” environment; but someone had made the getting used to process much easier for him.

Nathanael rummaged through one of the drawers near the sink, sorting through a number of rags that were neatly folded into a stack. “I was sure it was here.” He said to himself, placing his hair behind his ear. Although he wasn’t exactly the neatest person when it came to work, the young painter was capable of remembering where he last placed his things in the midst of his organized mess-most of the time.

“Looking for something?” a voice chimed.

Nathanael immediately perked up, raising his head to make eye contact with his favourite pair of azure orbs. She stood on the opposite side of the counter, her hair loosely tied into a messy bun as she wore an oversized t-shirt with multicoloured stains on it. “Marinette.” She smiled at sound of her name, eventually chuckling as she raised her hand.  His gaze diverted to the item she was holding; an oddly-colored rag with dry paint marks was hanging from her finger tips and Nathanael couldn’t hold back a blush when he realized he had misplaced it.

“Where did you-“

“Bedroom. You were working on your oil painting last night, remember?”

She handed him the material with a laugh, earning a smile from Nathanael who shyly rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a veteran designer for Agreste Fashion who surprisingly became Nathanael’s girlfriend. He wasn’t exactly sure why she had chosen him over her long-time crush, Adrien; but he was certain that he became the happiest man alive when she had given him a “yes” during the winter of 2 years ago.

Nathanael’s eyes settled on the young designer, taking in the image of her in his shirt and forever embedding unto his mind that she is literally walking around their apartment just in her underwear- Hold a minute. Nathanael quickly shook his head, diverting his gaze to the easel where his canvass laid. _Don’t be inappropriate._ He mentally scolded to himself, still unable to overcome his bashfulness when it came to his desires. Although he did gain more confidence after getting into a relationship, some things never seem to change.

Marinette was quick to notice the sudden shift of his gaze, immediately turning around to where she assumed Nathanael was looking at. She began to approach the easel, leaning forward with her hands behind her back as if to thoroughly inspect the piece. “What are you painting?” she asked, her cerulean orbs scanning through the gradient hues of purple and orange that was blotted all over the canvass. There were traces of light pencil marks that created a shape of what appeared to be a bridge, she realized. The piece was obviously not done; but there was something about the way the colors were mixed and how the silhouettes were sketched that made Marinette ponder about it for a moment. It seemed familiar, as if she had seen this somewhere before.

“A sunset.” Nathanael replied, quietly approaching Marinette as he settled himself next to her.

“Oh? Why a sunset?”

The artist paused for a minute, gathering and arranging the thoughts that were rapidly invading his mind. He suddenly felt nervous to answer; not because he didn’t have a reason for his choice of theme, but because it was _why_ he chose it. Nathanael has always been a tad too careful with his choice of words, although he knew that his girlfriend wouldn’t judge him for a slip up, he didn’t want to risk it.

“Because when it’s time for the sun to leave the sky, it always leaves behind the most beautiful trail of colors... just like you, Marinette.” He managed to muster, a visible blush creeping on his pale cheeks. He quickly lowered his head, eyes glued to the floor as he braced himself for a response. He rarely said these kind of things; each time becoming more difficult than before. It was easier to express through touch, but words were a completely different story for him altogether.

The designer looked back at him, eyes wide with surprise. She glanced at the unfinished piece again and then back to her obviously embarrassed boyfriend. _Oh, Nath._ A smile began to form on her lips as she reached out to cup his cheek. It was rare to see him like this, but every moment seemed much more special for Marinette. She could see his efforts in trying to be honest with himself, finding courage to speak his mind once in a while. It was difficult for him, she knew that; but Marinette couldn’t help but feel touched, it was like she was falling in love with him all over again.  

The moment Nathanael felt her warmth against his cheek, he had begun to relax. He placed a hand over hers, gently squeezing it as he kept his gaze on the floorboard.

“Hey, look at me.” Marinette said as she placed a hand on his other cheek, pulling his face towards her.  Nathanael lifted his eyes off the floor as she held his face, his teal orbs meeting the same expressive blue eyes that had inspired hundreds of his works. She was smiling at him, her face showing nothing but warmth and love. He felt his heart skip a beat at the sight, finding himself breathless within her arms.

“I’m flattered Nath.” She began, the smile on her face never fading. “That means so much, thank you.”

The artist couldn’t hold back the smile that was rapidly growing on his lips. If there was something that got Nathanael wrapped around Marinette’s finger, it was her ability to easily reassure him when he couldn’t find confidence in himself. Her sincerity and overflowing radiance almost seemed surreal. Was this really how love worked? He wasn’t sure, but he was definitely enjoying what it was currently offering. Nathanael knew that he was probably turning into a tomato because his face had begun to feel much hotter as he desperately tried to conceal his blush. His efforts were to no avail however, and Marinette couldn’t resist a laugh as she saw how flustered he had become. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight and loving hug; making sure to give him a comforting squeeze. He was quick to return the gesture, circling his arms around her tender waist as he pulled her closer against him.

They stayed like that for a while, finding comfort in the silence through each other’s presence. Nathanael could smell the familiar scent of cinnamon that lingered against Marinette’s skin as he nestled his nose against her neck. He often wondered if she had cinnamon-scented perfume lying around somewhere, or maybe it was just a baker’s daughter kind of thing. Though he knew for sure that it was becoming quite difficult to resist the urge to just-

“Ah!” a voice squeaked, snapping Nathanael back to his senses. He immediately pulled back, making eye contact with a surprised Marinette. She placed a hand on her neck as she blinked, mentally processing what just had happened.

“Did you just...”

Oh, no.

“Mari I- Wait I can explain-“

Did he really?

“I-I didn’t mean to-I was just distracted and I-“

He should just stop talking.

Nathanael paused and gathered the courage to look at Marinette. Alright, he knew he was probably experiencing that kind of phase at the moment. But really, why in the world did he just bite her. It wasn’t the painful kind, in fact it was the inviting kind of bite; the type where you just nip at the skin and leave the person tingly all over. He sounded like a puppy in heat; this couldn’t get any more embarrassing. The artist wanted to mentally shoot himself; he was pretty sure if Marinette wanted it she wouldn’t have yelped, but she did. Now here they were, awkwardly staring at each other and letting the room sink in total silence. _Smooth move, Nath._ He casted his eyes down at the floor again, bracing himself for a backlash. Although to his surprise, he heard laughter instead. _She’s laughing?_ He lifted his eyes to a laughing Marinette, eyes closed with a matching grin that continued to grow wider by the minute.

“Oh Nath! You’re really full of surprises today.” Marinette chuckled, shaking her head as she closed the gap between them. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I was just surprised and all. You didn’t seem to be the kind to bite, but I guess you were hiding a few things from me huh?”

He didn’t know if this was a good sign or he should continue to apologize for his indecency. But he planned to do the latter, just in case.

“Mari I-“

His response was cut short when a pair of soft lips met his and then everything seemed to have melted away into that brief exchange of kisses. There she was again with her reassuring gestures. He was about to lose his mind with this girl, but he just found himself falling deeper and deeper into her soul with each passing moment. There was no escape; he was really in love with her. As the designer pulled back, she looked up to him with delight twinkling beneath her sky-kissed eyes.

“We’re good, Nath. Coffee?” she offered, sensing his tenseness from all the ridiculous scenarios they were making together.

He let out a sigh before he returned a smile, offering a nod to her question. “Coffee sounds nice.”

Any distraction from this embarrassing situation was nice. So coffee seemed like the perfect remedy to fix the mood, or so he hoped. With one smooth turn, Marinette made her way to the kitchen as Nathanael settled himself back on his canvass. He almost forgot about the red blob he had to clean up, luckily a few stains on his toes reminded him of the mess. He knelt down with the rag in hand, placing the tattered cloth over the semidried pigment that stained the floor. A few minutes of rough scrubbing seemed to have done the trick, but a few nasty stains were visible on the beautiful oak. _I think I’ll need some water..._ he thought, grabbing the cloth as he got up to his feet.

 

_Bump_

 

Today was really not his day. Nathanael and Marinette were on a frantic dance to find their balance as the designer tried to keep the contents of the mug from spilling. The young man grabbed hold of her waist on impulse, pulling her towards him before she came crashing into his canvass.  Although he successfully saved his damsel, his landscape was entirely different story.

“Are you okay?” Nathanael asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay... but your painting.”

As they regained their balance, they looked back at the canvass that was comfortably seated on the easel. It still had the same purple and orange tint from a while ago, but there were a few unwelcomed splatters of brown hues that ruined the harmony of the gradients. The sight bothered Marinette and she brought it upon herself to speak first.

“I’m so sorry, Nath.” She apologized, a tone of guilt mixed in her words.

“Wait, it’s alright Mari. You shouldn’t apologize.” He assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he offered a small smile. “It’s no big deal.”

“But you’ve been working so hard on it.”

“I can always start over. Besides, I kind of...like it actually.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“No, really! I think the coffee stains work.”

Marinette looked back at the canvass, then back to her boyfriend. If he really was trying to mask his disappointment, he wouldn’t be looking at her with such genuine calmness. But it wasn’t that easy to assure her, not when she literally ruined Nathanael’s efforts.

“I don’t know, Nath. I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but you really worked-Ah!”

Nathanael had pulled her unto his lap, arms wrapped around her waist to secure her in place. He looked mischievous but satisfied with himself, earning a questioning look from his girlfriend. He was never this bold on a regular basis, but he didn’t want to argue over something little.

“It’s fine Mari. I like it this way; at least it has a little touch of you.” He said, nuzzling against valley between her neck and shoulder. He gave secret kiss on the spot, hearing a sigh escape her lips.

“If you’re sure. But if you need any help to make a new one, let me know.”

Teal eyes took notice of the small jar that was in Marinette’s hand. The container was transparent and from the looks of things, it seemed to be filled with sugar cubes. _It must have been for the coffee_. Then something hit him.

“Actually Mari, I know what you can do to make it up to me.”

“Of course, anything.”

Nathanael smiled at her, reaching out to pull the jar’s lid open. The designer looked at him in confusion, observing his fingers as they took hold of one of the cubes.

“It’s kind of hard to eat these in this position. Think you can help me? But you can’t use your hands.”

There was a twinkle in her eye that assured Nathanael she understood what he was implying. It was not like him to ask for such favours, but he just went with the flow. That should be fine, right?

“You’re really full of surprises, Nath.” With a smile, Marinette picked the sugar cube off his fingers with her lips. She slightly bit into the sweetener to keep it in place, squirming against his lap as she settled into a much more comfortable position. Nathanael kept her steady as she began to lean closer to him, their eyes coming to a close as their lips were once again reunited. This time however, their kisses left a trail of coffee on the floor and an empty jar of sugar cubes.

 

 


End file.
